Both primary care physicians and specialists (gastroenterologists) have the same goals and are working with tainted studies from Big Pharma by highly paid sales reps and do not take the time to explore options which are 'outside the box'. Because of the plethora of dangerous side effects most people should get off these drugs which produce billions of dollars for pharma companies who really don't care if you get better overall and produce 'relief of symptoms'. On the plus side, the authors point out the dangers of modern pharmaceuticals used for all kinds of irritable bowel problems, especially the so-called proton pump inhibitors when used for long terms.

There are many plusses and minuses for the book. But that's just a side-note and doesn't warrant taking away a star for this book. That gas carries particles of the stomach acid upward, to the GE sphincter, and irritates it, causing the heartburn. From what I've read elsewhere, we DO know why: if stomach acid is deficient, food sits in your stomach and ferments, which creates gas. The ONLY thing I will say, is that, in the book he mentions they don't really know why people with low stomach-acid production experience heartburn, but that they observe clinical improvement when acid production is improved.

If you or anyone you know, has heartburn or ANY other digestive issues, I strongly encourage you to read this book. After some searching, and ruling out a couple of other causes, I found that this is a common symptom of low stomach acid! I'm happy to report, that the HCL/pepsin therapy seems to have taken care of that annoying symptom, or at least knocked it way down. That symptom had gotten a lot worse the last year or so, happening more frequently, sometimes for days at a time. In fact, sometimes it would literally get worse after I ate. Off and on, for the last decade or so, I'd periodically have this persistent, gnawing hunger in my stomach, even after I had just eaten. I should mention one of the reasons I suspected I had poor stomach acid production. That means for at least the last 10 years or so, my poor stomach has been having a hard time, and thus, the rest of my digestive system as well. I went up to the maximum 7 capsules per meal, and never had any burning or discomfort in my stomach. I found that my acid levels are lacking after following his protocol.

He also explains how to easily and inexpensively test/treat yourself with HCL/pepsin capsules in a very concise manner. Where some of the myths or misunderstandings about it came about, etc. He explains in a lot of detail why stomach acid is critical for the health of the entire human body. Wright was the guy who brought bio-identical hormone therapy to the U.S. This is an excellent book, written by an incredible holistic-minded physician.

Heartburn book review